


paranoia in b major

by franticatlantic



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: M/M, Mental Illness, doppelgangers, stranger things inspired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-11 04:42:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7876954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/franticatlantic/pseuds/franticatlantic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tyler stretches his arm across the table, takes Josh’s hand in his. “Where’d you go?”</p>
<p>Josh’s perfect lips fall open, peek of sharp, white teeth. His eyes are wide. He gives Tyler’s fingers a squeeze. “I don’t know.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	paranoia in b major

**Author's Note:**

> title is from the avett brothers song of the same name.

"Do you think your parents were serious? About moving?"

Tyler rolls the dice. Eleven.

Josh makes a face, somewhere between confused and upset. "Maybe? The last time we moved was...well, when we came here. I guess it's about time for another one."

Tyler nods, like he knew this day would come eventually. Like he knew what it meant when Josh first told him his dad was in the Marines and they moved around a lot.

He moves his piece eleven spaces on the board and Josh whistles. "Purgatory. Tough luck."

Tyler sighs - he doesn't like this game. He's not very good at it. But Josh likes it so he plays anyway.

"How do I get out?"

Josh consults the rule book, made to look like an old parchment tome held together with thin brown string. But it's just plasticy paper, the same kind you find in textbooks. The kind Tyler doesn't like. "You have to roll at least an 8 or higher on your next turn. Or you can sacrifice a piece of your soul."

Tyler thinks. "Can I ever get it back?"

"Mmm, no, it doesn't look like it. Unless you fight the Urgthulu on space 25 and gain a piece back."

"I feel like this game has more rules every time we play it."

"I'll ask-"

Before Josh can finish, the basement door creaks open and Tyler's mom's voice reverberates down the stairs. "Boys! It's half-past 11 on a school night!"

Tyler sucks in a breath. "Just five more minutes!"

" _Now_ , Tyler Robert!"

Josh doesn't roll his eyes or tell Tyler he's lame for still having a bedtime. He's already slinging his backpack onto his shoulders. "I'll leave this here?" He gestures to the game spread out on the flimsy folding table. "And come back for it tomorrow after school?"

Tyler nods. "Sure."

Josh's dark hair, long for a boy's, gets caught in the strap of his book bag. Tyler reaches over and untangles it. "Thanks."

At the top of the stairs, Josh says goodbye to Tyler's parents and Tyler shows him to the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning," he waves, other hand ready to shut the door.

But Josh, on the Josephs' front stoop, glances up and then back at Tyler. "Can you come outside for a minute?"

Tyler glances back down the hall, where his mom is packing lunchboxes in the kitchen and his dad is watching TV in the lounge. He nods, steps out into the cool night air and closes the door as quietly as he can behind him.

For a minute, he and Josh just stand there, Josh looking at the sky, Tyler looking at Josh. If Josh doesn't hurry up and tell him what's going on, Tyler's going to get grounded.

"It's really nice out tonight, huh?" Josh asks, voice hushed.

Tyler doesn't agree, thinks it's too cold, that there aren't enough stars. It's too overcast. "Yeah," he says anyway, because Josh thinks so.

Almost in a flash, Josh leans over and presses a dry kiss to Tyler's cheek. Tyler feels his face flame. He _likes_ that.

He wants to ask Josh why it happened, but then realizes maybe he doesn't want to know the answer. Maybe he wouldn't like that.

"See you tomorrow," Josh says, but it comes out all garbled, like he pushed it out from between his teeth.

He's halfway down the street, backpack bouncing, when Tyler calls him back. "Josh! What were you gonna say? Earlier in the basement."

"Oh. I'll ask Jordan more about the rules tonight. And tell you tomorrow." Josh originally got the game from his older brother, who Tyler's only met once.

Tyler nods and waves again, sees something flicker across Josh's face before he turns and rounds the corner.

-

Josh doesn’t tell him more about the rules of the game.

Josh isn’t at school the next day.

Josh went missing on the way home from Tyler’s house.

-

Tyler and his family are questioned because they were the last ones to see Josh.

The lead detective sits Tyler down on the couch alone and asks him leading questions that might tell them where Josh went, if he were so inclined to run away.

Tyler shakes his head. “Josh was happy. He wouldn’t have run away.”

“You’re absolutely positive, Tyler? If you’re hiding something, that could impede our chances of finding your friend. And then he could really be in danger.”

_He’s already in danger,_ Tyler thinks. _He wouldn’t have run away, not from me. So something else had to have happened to him._

“I’m positive.”

The detective, a burly man in a brown jacket two sizes too small for him, sighs. “Can you tell me what happened that night? Right before Josh left?”

“Sure. We were playing a board game. My mom told us Josh had to leave because it was a school night. Josh said he’d be back for the game the next day after school and then I led him to the front door. He…” _He kissed me._ Tyler isn’t sure if the detective notices his pause, gaze fixed on his shoes. “…he told me he’d ask his brother more about the game before we played again. Then he left.”

“And you’re sure that’s all?” Placating. The detective’s tone of voice is placating.

Tyler tugs at a loose thread on the couch until it starts to come undone. Should he mention that Josh kissed him? That doesn’t seem important. Doesn’t seem like something that would affect the investigation all that much.

Tyler nods. “That’s all.”

-

So the police start their search, everyone in the neighborhood gathering to look. They comb through the vast back stretches of forest bordering their backyards with flashlights and reflector jackets on, but Tyler knows where Josh would be if he were anywhere.

He and Zack take their bikes and look in the playground, Josh’s favorite comic book shop, the record store a couple blocks away.

They don’t find him.

No one does.

-

Three days after Josh goes missing, Tyler stews over his meatloaf at the dinner table and grumbles, “Maybe if you hadn’t sent him home so early, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Excuse me?” His mother’s voice is a hiss, steam-hot pins of anger.

Tyler shrugs. “You could’ve let him stay the night is all I’m saying. Instead of sending him home in the dark.”

A loud thump, as her fist lands on the table. “Do _not_ put this on me, Tyler! It was a school night - how was I supposed to know this was going to happen? And if you’re not going to eat, you can go to your room!”

The chair makes a screeching sound on the linoleum as he pushes away from the table and vacates the kitchen, his father and siblings looking on, dumbfounded.

Tyler doesn’t like meatloaf anyway.

But he doesn’t go to his room - he heads down to the basement, where the game is still set up how it was the night Josh went missing.

He sits in his chair and stares at his tiny pewter figurine, clutching a sword and shield, still in purgatory. Tyler reaches out, scoots his piece closer to Josh’s - an old man with a wand.

The rule book lays forgotten where Josh left it on the edge of the table.

With a twist to his lips and a grunt, Tyler upends the board. The playing pieces, rule book, and dice go flying, as well as the tiny tokens and coins used to symbolize player’s souls and money. Everything scatters into the farthest corners of the basement and Tyler sees one of the silver tokens roll across the floor, skipping over the tiny metal lip of the heating vent and clattering into it with a metallic _clunk_.

Tyler leaves everything where it landed and goes to his room.

-

Josh’s family moves away.

-

In college, Tyler majors in English. Because writing is the only thing he can stomach anymore.

He dates a girl named Jenna. He doesn’t know if he likes her.

Especially when he declines an invitation to the movies and she blows up at him.

“Jesus Christ, Tyler! You never want to _do_ anything! All you do is stay in your room and write! Does anything interest you anymore?” A rather pregnant pause. “You know what you are? You’re a fucking _malcontent_.”

She leaves with a slam of the door and Tyler keeps staring straight ahead, at the glow from his laptop.

Jenna is right.

-

He graduates and moves out of his parents’ place.

He takes only what he needs - clothes, furniture, appliances.

And the two tiny pewter figurines from the board game, which he sets on his desk in his apartment.

He sees them every time he sits down to write.

-

One of his coworkers at the magazine invites him to a show downtown.

Tyler doesn’t go to shows. He doesn’t like shows. He doesn’t even listen to music, probably the only American citizen who can genuinely say he doesn’t like it.

But Jenna’s words still echo in his ears. So he agrees to go.

The place is packed, which Tyler doesn’t like. Everyone is drunk and sweaty and gross. Tyler has his hands stuffed into his pockets, making himself as small as possible.

Someone reaches out and wraps their fingers tight around Tyler’s elbow, pulls him out of the crowd and backstage.

It’s Dennis, from work. “I wanted to introduce you to someone.”

“I don’t-“

_I don’t want to be here I want to go home please just let me leave._

“Sorry we missed your set. Tyler here was running a little late.”

“It’s all good. We were first on and we only played for like, 20 minutes.”

His hair is red, and shorter. He’s no longer thin and lanky - shirtless and sweaty, Tyler can see his abs. But he still has that same blinding smile, those same deep eyes.

Tyler is still _happy_ when he sees him.

It’s Josh.

He sticks his hand out and _says_ it: “Hi, I’m Josh. Nice to meet you. How do you know Denny?”

_Yes, Josh. I know. That is wrong - we’ve already met. I work with him._

Tyler wraps his fingers around Josh’s palm and feels struck. He’s being pulled out of his body, watching this interaction beside himself. “I’m Tyler. I work at the magazine with Dennis.”

Josh laughs so loud. “Dennis. Jesus, it’s been years since I’ve heard anyone call him that.”

“Tyler’s not one for nicknames,” Dennis gripes.

Josh’s dark eyes flash to Tyler.

It’s only been an hour before Josh asks if Tyler wants to go home with him.

Tyler says yes.

-

He likes Josh’s lips on him, his hands skimming down Tyler’s sides, pulling his shirt off, palming at his waist. He likes how Josh lays him down and pulls his pants off, how he spits in his hand and rubs it where Tyler’s never touched. Never been touched. He likes the burn as Josh pushes inside.

Tyler keeps eye contact with Josh the whole time, fingers gripping and pulling and _needing_.

“J- _Josh_ ,” Tyler keens, pushes the head of his cock up against Josh’s abs.

“I’m here,” Josh mumbles, words spilling out against Tyler’s shoulder.

When Josh kisses Tyler’s cheek, Tyler cums with a shout, hands flapping.

“It’syouit’syouit’syou,” he whispers, choking and bucking.

“Hm?” Josh says, and that’s good enough for Tyler.

-

It’s been a few days when Tyler gets a text from Josh - _i wanna see you again_

Tyler’s fingers tremble as they tap across the screen of his phone, typos galore - _i want to see you too_  
 _it’s been a while_

-

They meet up at a little coffee shop in Bexley.

Josh is wearing a red beanie over his red hair, and a black sweater.

Tyler doesn’t really care about clothes, but he cares when they’re on Josh.

“You look good,” he says when they sit down at a table outside. “Really good.”

Josh’s face goes pink. “Jeez, thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself.”

It looks like it embarrasses him to say so, but Tyler just smiles and sips at his coffee.

“I’m glad you decided to meet up. I kind of thought you wouldn’t want to.” Josh’s fingers are pale around the black mug he’s holding.

Tyler tilts his head. “Why wouldn’t I want to?”

Josh shrugs. “I just…thought you wouldn’t.”

Tyler stretches his arm across the table, takes Josh’s hand in his. “Where’d you go?”

Josh’s perfect lips fall open, peek of sharp, white teeth. His eyes are wide. He gives Tyler’s fingers a squeeze. “I don’t know.”

When Josh says the place has good coffee, Tyler agrees.

And not just because Josh thinks so.

-

A month later, Tyler brings Josh home.

“It’s nice to meet you,” his dad says.

“We’ve heard such wonderful things about you,” his mom says.

“Where ya from, dude?” Zack asks.

“He’s from here, dummy.” Tyler rolls his eyes.

Zack makes a face. “How was I supposed to know that?”

Before Tyler can answer - tell Zack that it’s Josh. The Josh that grew up a few blocks from here, _hello_ \- Madison gives a shout from the kitchen and everyone’s rushing in to see what’s wrong.

Except for Tyler, who stays rooted in the hall with a small smile on his face.

They all recognize him.

-

“I never thought I’d see you again.”

They’re laying in bed, covered in sweat and cum. Josh is running his fingers through the mess on Tyler’s belly, curled around him so warm and solid.

“What d’you mean?” Josh’s teeth are worrying at the curve of Tyler’s shoulder.

Tyler scoffs. What does he mean. “After you went missing. I honestly never thought I’d see you again. I was scared.”

Josh’s fingers still, sticky on Tyler’s stomach. “Ty?”

With a stone in his gut, Tyler explains. When you went missing, Josh. When we played that game, Josh. When we knew each other as _kids_. Right?

Josh presses on Tyler’s arm, turns him over. “Tyler. That wasn’t me.”

The expression on his face kills.

“It had to be. You’re Josh. Joshua Dun. My Josh. You went missing and no one could find you, but I did. I _found_ you.”

Josh doesn’t say anything, just leans over and kisses him, lips sliding slick and wet over Tyler’s.

He likes it.

Tyler wants to push him away, tell him they need to talk about this.

But what is there to talk about? This is his Josh - there’s no other option.

Josh kisses his cheek all the time and it feels exactly how it felt when Tyler was fourteen.

Josh will see it in time.

**Author's Note:**

> i don't know what this is, but it's for steph.


End file.
